Electrical coupling device for railway and other vehicles.



L. B'OIRAULT. EGE'QTRICAL COUELING DEVICE FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER VEHICLES. MPLICATION HL'ED IAN-21, 19H.

1 216,057. Patented Fb.13,'1917.

WITNES ES ATTOWN EY 8 V 1 .2.: cm 7.

. :LOUIS BOIRAULT, F rams. RANCE.

ELECTRICAL CbUPLING; DEVICE FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER VEHICLES.

Original application flled iuly' 25. 1913.

1 To (Z Z whom it may concern:

lie It known that l. Loris Bouui'iir, a ('ltlll'll ot'the Republic of France. residing l Q I I at-larls. oH Hue 'laitbout. in the Republic ot' France. engineer. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l'llectrlcal Coupling, Devices for Railway and other .Yehic-les 'of which the 't'ollowlngis a specitication.

This application is a division of the application liled July 25. 191?). Serial No. 7 1553.

This invention relates to improvements in electriccoupling: devices, for use in counection with electric conduits on-the separate vehicles of a train. and relates more particu- .larLv to the case where the train comprises v eli'icles provided with automatic electric coupling apparatus operative by the mere approiurhing of the vehicles, as well as carriages not provided with automatic electric coupling apparatus, and merely ha ving conne tors ot' the usual type intended to be coupled by hand with similar connectors on another vehicle.

According to this invention, each vehicle provided with an, automatic electric coupling. is also provided with connectors oi the usual type intended to l'ie'coupled by hand with similar connectors provided on am'ither vehicle. and with two flexible cables which are secured to the male and female portions of the automaticconnector the movable ends of which connectors are provided with ele tric connectors adapted to he coupled to correspondingconnectors of the usual kind provided on the same vehicle.

\Vhen two vehicles to be. coupled a re both provided with automatic couplings. the lat;

ter will be already connected to connectors of the usual kind on the respective vehicles by means of flexible cables secured to the male and female portions of the automatic couplings, sothat the connections between the two vehicles will be established auto matically as soon as they are pushed against;

, each other.

The, accompanying drawing illustrates diagramn atically by way of example, one end of a vehicle provided with a connector of the usual kind, and with an automatic coupli fig.

1\ designates an automatic coupling device sawing for the automatic coupling of Specification of Letters Patt nt. p nr 13, 1917,

Serial No. 781,213. V Divii ed and this application filed January 21,

1914. Serial No. 813,416.

matic electric connectors may. for examples he of the kind described in liritislrlatent No. 138211 oi 1913. They con-rpfise male and t'cmaleco meeting members I, and I! located symmctri all v on the sides of the coupling The vehicle is also provided with conncc tors c. c of the usual kind, intended to be coupled bv' hand with similar connectors on another v hicle.

According to the present invention. two flexible cables r/. r/ are secured respectively to the male and female portions 11, I and carry at their free ends connectors c, c' adapted t) be coupled with the connectors c, c of the usual kind placed on the same vehicle.

\Vhen tic two vehicles to be coupled are both pro\-' ded with auton'iatic connectors B, their connectors c. c are previously eonuectcd with the connectors c. c. respectivetv. After the connectors c, c and c, c are coupled. the (onucctors l1 and I) of each vehii le are couple l with those I; and 11'. respectively of the oth *r vehicle so that the electric circuit is established through 1- c r/ I; i 1/ c c'-.

In the c use where the vehicle is to be coupled to another vehiclenot provided with an automatic connector. the connectors c, c and c. c a 'e disengaged and connectors e, c incloscd r s mctivcl in protecting boxes f and f ha untcd on the upper partof the veh cle on the frame. or on the coupling appal-aids Vheu the vehicles arec-oupled. the connectors r of each vehicle are coupled by hand h the usual manner to the connectors c. 2;, 'espectively, on the other vehicle.

It must be"uuderstoml that this arrangeuieilt ol tic cables and of the courua'tors may be ad ipted to any construction of elcc-. tric (flJJIlit ting apparatus Claims:

1. In an electric railway vehicle, the combination 0* hand connectors sw-ured tothe body of tl e vehicle and adapted to be engaged by mnnectors on another vehicle.'a vehicle col pling; apparatus, automatic connectors secured to the sides of such coupling apparatus, hand connectors adapted to be i'couplcd with the said hand connectors secured to the body of the vehicle, and cables connecting such hand connectors with the said automatic connectors.

11 an electric railway vehicle, hand 5 connectors, one secured to the vehicle and the other to a cable secured to the vehicle, a

couplinr device carrying electric conductors automatically coupled ors on another velncle, connected with the connectois of to be con tors.

In testimony, th as my invention I h presence of two sub Witnesses the coupli pled with t ng device and adapted he first named connecat I claim the foregoing ave signed my name in 5 sci-1b LOUIS BOIRAULT.

mg witnesses.

HANSON C. (10x11,

AURIC-E Roux. 

